December 3, 2008
Tobacco pipes were smoked by native Americans for thousands of years, but for collectors' purposes, pipe collecting starts in the mid 1800's. Before then, most pipes were made from clay, which broke easily and was hard to maintain.
With the introduction of the briar pipe from Scotland, pipes became valued items that one held onto. Today, antique and vintage pipes are valued based on the materials they're made of. Though briar is the standard, there are also meerschaum pipes (a white mineral found in Turkey), and calabash pipes (a gourd cut and shaped into a pipe).
Collectible pipes may have bands made of precious materials, such as silver or gold, holding the bowl to the mouthpiece. And some briar pipes, but mostly meerschaum pipes, are even carved with complicated figural and patterned designs.
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